Her upcoming Pre-Spring collection jets to more tropical surroundings and (hooray!) Hawaii is a featured stop. The Puerto Rico native, who previously worked under Tuleh, Carolina Herrera and Zac Posen, offers a full range of baubles with local names and stories.

Here, Arizaga explains how she fused the Aloha state with threads, chains, charms and top-secret weaving techniques to create splashy statement necklaces. We're totally on board.

Honolulu, $550
"Whenever there's a Hawaiian-themed party, everyone gets one or two cheap plastic lei. But, whether they admit it or not, what they really want is one of those multi-colored, fabric flower lei. I wanted to make a necklace that has the same effect, but with stones and silver."

Waikiki, $650
"The fringe on the Waikiki necklace was inspired by the traditional hula girl's grass skirt. I think the movement the skirt makes while dancing is so cool, and I wanted to capture a similar movement in a necklace."

Hawaii 5-0, $395
"Earth tones mixed with a little glitz — if I'm going on an adventure through the fields and rainforests in Hawaii, this is the piece I'm wearing."

Mahana(see main photo), $495
"When creating this piece, I was thinking 'under the sea' and before I knew it, I had Sebastian and Flounder stuck in my head! This necklace would look awesome on Ariel. I'm a sucker for 'The Little Mermaid.'"

Venessa Arizaga's limited-edition French-inspired jewelry is available at Nordstrom's French Fling Pop-In through November 10. Look for her Pre-Spring 2014 collection coming soon to VenessaArizaga.com. Photos provided by Venessa Arizaga.

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Lei Chic Editor Natalie Schack has been a cultural anthropology student, museum worker bee and dabbler in graphic design. When she isn’t scouting new fashion, compiling to-do lists or crafting puns, Natalie spends her free time dreaming up elaborate picnic ideas; “researching” via YouTube tutorials, blogs and Instagram; and dusting off her pith helmet for the next adventure life throws her way.